TWD: Tender Shortcakes

This week’s recipe was chosen by Cathy of The Tortefeasor. I was a bit worried about these because shortcakes are similar to biscuits, and biscuits are not my friend.  In the past, more often than not I  have ended up with flat, dry biscuits. After reading the P&Q for the cream biscuits we made a while ago, I figured out my problem had to be over-mixing. So, when I made the shortcakes I resisted the urge to get every last bit of flour mixed in and very quickly and gently mixed everything together. The result was tender, fluffy shortcakes! Yea! I think I may have finally figured biscuits out.

When I made these, I baked two and froze the rest. I haven’t tried any of the frozen shortcakes yet, so I don’t know if they are as good as the freshly made ones. However, I love that you can freeze them and have shortcakes in a few minutes for a quick summer dessert. I ended up topping mine with whipped cream and warm strawberry jam, because I forgot to pick up strawberries at the store. :/ Nevertheless, they were really good. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

TWD: Chocolate Caramel Coconut Ice Cream Pie

This week’s recipe was chose by Spike of Spike Bakes and it was supposed to be Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie. While the combination of bananas, coconut, and chocolate ice cream sound heavenly to me; I knew my husband was not going to touch it with a ten foot pole. So I decided to modify the recipe a little bit and make something we would both like.

 

I made 2 individual pies since it was just the two of us. I made the coconut cookie crust and as directed, but instead of a layer of bananas at the bottom, I added a layer of caramel and toasted coconut instead.  I did not add anything to the ice cream, it was just plain chocolate. Then I topped the pies with whipped cream and toasted coconut just before serving. We really enjoyed them! It’s a nice refreshing treat, perfect for summer. Plus my version kind of tasted like a Samoa which is great because those are my favorite Girl Scout cookies. Yum!

MS Cupcakes Club: Tres Leches Cupcakes

 This month’s recipe was chosen by Lisa of Smiley’s Sweets and Creations. Tres Leches just happens to be one of my favorite desserts. Growing up it was a dessert that we had relatively often. Here in Miami it is readily available in almost every grocery store and Latin restaurant and it just happens to me one of my grandmother’s specialties. I love it, so I was excited to try Martha’s version, but I was a little disappointed.

It’s not that the cupcakes weren’t good. I took them to a family event and they all got eaten, but we all agreed this recipe was not the best. Unfortunately my grandmother’s recipe is a secret even from me, so I don’t know how her recipe differs from Martha’s, but the texture was not quite right and it just felt like something was missing.  I do really like the idea of Tres Leches Cupcakes. It is really different and fun. I would just use a different recipe next time.

CSN Stores Le Creuset Review and Giveaway! CLOSED

It’s finally time for the CSN Stores giveaway that I announced last month! I’m so excited that CSN stores has given me the opportunity to review and giveaway one of their products. Not only because I’m thrilled to be able to host my first giveaway, but because I’ve bought from CSN stores in the past and it is truly a great place to shop online. If you have never checked out CSN stores, then you are really missing out. They are truly a shopaholic’s dream come true.  They have over 200 hundred stores specializing in everything from decor, toys, clothing, TV stands, and my personal favorite Cookware! Believe me, you can find everything you would ever need and at amazing discounted prices. Check out a list of all their stores by clicking here.   

   

   

I was sent a beautiful Le Creuset 12″x9.5″ Rectangular Dish to review. I’ve been using this baking dish for the last few weeks and I am in love! This baking dish is awesome, and not just because of the beautiful cherry red color.  It’s dishwasher and microwave safe and can go straight from the refrigerator to the oven. It distrbutes heat well so the food cooks evenly. On top of that it is super easy to clean. I was surprised the first time I washed it at how easily the baked on food came off. I also really love the grip handles which make it easy to transfer from the oven to your table.  If all of that isn’t enough reason to love it, the colors are gorgeous, and this dish looks really pretty on your table. One lucky winner is going to get one of their own in their choice of color!  

  

The giveaway is now closed.  Congratulations to the winner, Debbie! Thank you to everyone who entered and CSN stores for the opportunity! 

There are several ways to enter. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Good luck!   

Required Entry:   

1. Visit CSNstores.com and leave a comment telling me which of their 200+ stores is your favorite. Be sure to leave your email address in the comment so that I can contact you if you are the lucky winner. 

• For example, your comment should look something like this, “My favorite CSN store is tvstands.com and my email address is cooktastesavor at yahoo dot com.
• This is required to enter and counts as 1 entry into the contest.

  

Optional Entries:   

2. Subscribe to my blog via email and leave a comment telling me you did so. (This will count as 3 extra entries.)   

3. Post about the giveaway or put a link to it on your blog and leave me a comment with the link. (This will count as 3 extra entries.)   

Rules:   

• The giveaway will close on Tuesday May 25th at 12 pm EST.
• It is open to US residents 18 or older.
• One winner will be chose at random from valid entries.
• I will contact the winner by email. They will have 48 hours to respond. If they fail to respond within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen at random.

Please note that while the items for this review and giveaway were provided free of charge,  I was not paid for this review and these are my honest opinions.

TWD:Quick Classic Berry Tart

This week’s pick was chosen by Cristine of Cristine Cooks. This tart is actually one that I’ve been meaning to try for a while because the picture of the tart in the books looks mouth-watering. However, for some reason or another I have never made it and after trying it, I wish I had made it a long time ago.

 

This tart is fantastic! It is simple, but delicious and a very pretty dessert to serve to guests. I scaled this down to serve two and my husband and I both really enjoyed it. 

My only complaint is I would not exactly call it quick to make, but I guess if you have the crust and the pastry cream ready it is very quick to assemble. However it is easy to make and looks impressive which is always a plus. I definitely see myself making this tart again. 

P.S. I’ll have the CSN stores giveaway I announced earlier up by the end of the week. So, be sure to check back and enter!

TWD: Sweet Cream Biscuits

This week’s recipe was Sweet Cream Biscuits chosen by Melissa of Love at First Bite. I have to be honest biscuits kind of scare me. I’ve tried to make them repeatedly, but they always come out hard as a rock. Every time I try a new biscuit recipe I hope that I will finally have a biscuit breakthrough and create soft, flaky, melt in your mouth biscuits, but so far I’ve had no such luck.

However, while my biscuits weren’t perfect, this was probably my best attempt at biscuits so far. They did not rise as much as they should have, but at least they were soft. My husband actually ate more than the one obligatory pity biscuit this time, so that is good sign. Oh well… I will keep trying, one day I will learn how to create the perfect biscuits.

MS Cupcakes Club: Jumbo Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

This month’s pick is Jumbo Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes (what a mouthful, lol) chosen by Jess of Cookbook Habit.

I actually made these cupcakes several months ago for a friend’s daughter. She is the ultimately girly girl so I tinted the filling pink and made pink swirls on the tops of the cupcakes. I know you can’t really tell in the picture.  I made these before I got my new camera, so all I have is one mediocre picture from my cell phone…but trust me it is pink, lol. 

Taste-wise these were good but, I was not head over heels in love with these. I wish there was a stronger chocolate flavor. My husband thought I should have topped them with a chocolate frosting and I think they probably would have been better like that. Still, while this recipe is probably not one I would make all the time,  these were definitely easy to put together and great for kids.

Coming Soon: CSN Stores Review and Giveaway!

I’m so excited to announce that I will be hosting my very first blog giveaway very soon. I was contacted by CSN stores and have been given the wonderful opportunity to review and giveaway one of their products.

If you have never checked out CSN stores, then you are really missing out. They are truly a shopaholic’s dream come true.  They have over 200 hundred stores specializing in everything from decor, toys, clothing, TV stands, and my personal favorite Cookware! Believe me, you can find everything you would ever need and at amazing prices.

Have I piqued your interest yet? I’m not going to tell you what we are giving away, you will have to check back soon to find out. However, I can tell you that it is an amazing item from www.cookware.com and you are not going to want to miss it!

TWD: Coconut Tea Cake

This week’s recipe was Coconut Tea Cake, selected by Carmen of Carmen Cooks. I love coconut so I was really excited to make these. Plus, it gave me an excuse to use the cute mini bundt pan my husband got me. 

The recipe did not disappoint.  I topped some of the cakes with a lemon glaze. While the cakes were good without it, I really enjoyed the added tartness from the glaze. I made them on Saturday and we nibbled on them all weekend. I would definitely make them again.

TWD: Soft Chocolate and Raspberry Tart

Well, it has been over a month since my last post. I’ve had a lot going on with my family the past few months. It’s just been  really difficult to find time to blog. I’ve hated to miss so many TWDs, but I am trying to get back into the swing of things now.

I made a few changes to this week’s recipe. We aren’t really big on raspberries so I substituted strawberries. I know Dorie advises against it, but it turned out ok. I simply sprinkled them with sugar and let them drain for a few minutes so they would not be so watery. I also made a graham cracker crust. I thought I had some crust in the freezer, but I was out, so I improvised with a quick graham cracker crust.

The end product was tasty, but not very pretty, lol. The tops of the tarts were not smooth. I rapped the bowl on the counter like Dorie said, but I still had air bubbles for some reason. Either way we enjoyed them. Although my husband thought it would have been better without fruit. He doesn’t like surprises in his chocolate lol.